Cruiser
Cruisers are a class of vessels commonly employed by a large majority of ship builders in variety of situations. Part of the reason why the cruiser is used so often is because they are designed for independent raiding, scouting, and other purposes, and thus are usually designed to be smaller and faster than heavier vessels. They have relatively long range compared to other ships, and can outrun most other ships if needed, even though most of the time cruisers are the one chasing down smaller ships. Some heavier vessels can even hold their own against battleships. Light Cruisers Light cruisers are a class of fast, lightly armored cruiser with lighter weaponry than its cousins, but this is justified because of the cost to build a battlecruiser. Most missile cruisers would be classified this, as well as anti-air cruisers. Armament The cheaper version of the battlecruiser, it has lighter weapons, but they should work fine used well. * Smaller guns than other cruisers, such as 12.7cm Guns. * Torpedoes, light guns, missiles, and other weapons work well with this ship type. Role and Usage The light cruiser may be based on battlecruisers, but they are not designed with the same mission. Light cruisers can be deployed with defending convoys, scouting, and other jobs that take advantage of its higher speed than other cruisers, while staying out of situations its weaker armor cannot take. You should always use hit-and-run tactics, to avoid damage. When given the opportunity, the player should attack from the rear or flank, whilst staying careful to avoid fire from the enemy fleet or vessel. Construction Remember, when building cruisers keep in mind that they have less armor than other ships, while dispatched on patrols without any support. You might want to add anti-aircraft capability to minimize risks of getting sunk by planes. Remember, light cruiser is short for light armored cruiser, so don't forget armor. Heavy Cruisers Heavy cruisers are a type of cruiser which are more heavily armed than light cruisers, but less armored than the battlecruiser. Their capabilities are between that of the light cruiser and the battlecruiser, but their purpose is different from both of them. The heavy cruiser is designed for hunting other cruisers and smaller ships, as well as other light cruiser duties. Armament The heavy cruiser is designed for fast raiding, and should be armed as such. * Mid-sized guns, such as the 20cm Gun, but also larger guns work fine. * Torpedoes, light guns, missiles, and other weapons work well with this ship type. Role and Usage An evolution of the light cruiser, playing as a heavy cruiser is very similar to its lighter brethren, but with more firepower, and less speed and maneuverability. You should be able to take down light cruisers relatively easily. As with the light cruiser, hit-and-run tactics should be your main strategy. Remember to pay attention to your opponent's position and angle, to avoid broadsides which can devastate your ship. Construction The heavy cruiser has less armor than armored cruisers, but makes up for this with more guns and speed. When building the heavy cruiser, remember to keep this in mind. Thicker armor than light cruisers will be useful with the mission this class is designed for, and speed is your ally. Battlecruisers The name battlecruiser comes from combining battleship and cruiser. The battlecruiser is envisioned as a battleship, keeping the firepower that comes with it, but trading the armor for speed. The difference between fast battleships and battlecruisers is blurry, but arguable that the mission and purpose of the ship is what determines the vessel type. Armament * Battleship guns, such as 30.5 Guns and larger * Torpedoes, light guns, missiles, and other weapons work well with this ship type. Role and Usage A combination of the battleship and the cruiser, playing as a battlecruiser is very similar to a fast battleship. With the combination of speed and firepower, it should be not that difficult to defeat other cruisers, and do other capital ship duties. You can pursue and outmaneuver enemy ships easily and devastate them with your guns. With the heavier armor of battlecruisers, expect more battleship tactics mixed with the hit-and-run light cruiser tactics. Trying to outmaneuver enemy ships is still an important strategy though. Construction The battlecruiser. One of the most powerful ships in the high seas. If you can build an effective battlecruiser, it is a testament to your ship-building ability. Otherwise, your ship will fail in combat like the HMS Hood. A battlecruiser is, at its core, designed to be fast. This is what separates it from fast battleships. Fast battleships are designed to deal and take damage, but you have to consider your speed your greatest strength in a battle, and build your ship that way. Once you have built your ship to be fast, then you can add all the battleship guns you want, as long as you preserve your speed and maneuverability. The situation cannot stress this enough; if you want to have a ship with big guns and armor, that also is fast, proceed to a fast battleship. Your values must be one of a cruiser, and everything should be built around those values. Armored Cruisers Armored cruisers. This class of ship is the progenitor of them all, distinguished by thicker armor than the other cruisers. This ship can still defeat all but battleships, which it can outrun. Unfortunately, this class is pretty much obsolete. Armament The armored cruiser was more effectively replaced with battlecruisers, but they had the same type of weaponry. * Battleship guns, such as 30.5 Guns and larger * Torpedoes, light guns, missiles, and other weapons work well with this ship type. Role and Usage This type of ship put more of its focus on armor instead of speed. With a less flexible mission, it quickly became outdated as people created new types of ship. The role of the armored cruiser is pretty much the same as the battlecruiser, but the battlecruiser was better in every way. Hit-and-run tactics still work for this type of ship, but treat this ship like a slightly slower fast battleship. The predecessors of armored cruisers were the battleships of their day, and the armored cruiser operated like a longer ranged, faster battleship. Construction The armored cruiser is a derivation of the ironclad warship, with thick armor and guns, but faster than its main opponents. It is very comparable to the battleship, but slightly faster, with smaller guns, and slightly lighter armor. Gallery Image-1.jpg Image-2.jpg